MEASURING THE MIND

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19346, 27 June 1925, Page 14

MEASURING THE MIND

TESTS FOR CHILDREN. An ingenious method of measuring the minds of children by means of performance tests has been introduced into London County Council elementary schools. Mental ability is gauged by the quickness shown in solving certain problems presented pictorially. The results of 14 performance tests in three schools are described in a report issued by the Medical Research Council, and these have been taken as a basis for similar tests for children in other parts of the country.

One test, known as the Porteous maze, measures temperament as well as mind. Eleven mazes graded progressively in difficulty Pre printed on separate sheets, and the pupil is told that they show the paths in a -garden surrounded by walls. He must find his way out by tho quickest route. The showing made depends on the pupil’s ability to work under pressure and to withstand distraction by unessentials in the material or by noises in tho room. A cube imitation test involves the touching of four numbered cubes in a certain sequence as indicated by the teacher, the combinations of numbers being made more land more difficult. SEX DIFFERENCES. Each tost gives a certain score, and by combining the scores the mental age of the pupil is arrived at. Single tests are of no v|lup. Tho tests of London boys and girls between the ages of eight and 13 showed some interesting sex differences. The girls excelled in memory tests and the boys in reasoning.